Republicans on Wednesday balked at a Democratic counteroffer to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, as lawmakers and the White House scramble to strike a deal before a scheduled two-week recess begins on Friday ahead of a busy U.S. travel week for spring breaks and the Easter holiday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters on Wednesday there was “no point” in Republicans issuing another response to Democrats’ counter and said the Senate would vote later that day on the GOP proposal unveiled earlier this week.
“It’s not even close to being real,” Thune said of the counteroffer. “They know better. They’re asking for things that have already been turned down. So it just seems like they’re going in circles, spinning, spinning.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced the DHS counteroffer on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
“Our offer is a reasonable, good faith proposal that contains some of the very same asks Democrats have been talking about now for months,” Schumer said.
